Three questions, one post

[Buddha_Red]

Hey gang,

I have a 110g freshwater aquarium with a penguin 330 and a filstar xp3. i am wanting to get rid of the HOB since i am moving the tank to another apartment and it will be in the living room. So i am going for a show tank. I need everything out of the tank i can. I plan to buy an in line heater.



I have three questions


1) If i add a xp3 and dump the 330, will this be too much for the fish? I have mainly river fish, which like a current.

2) When i am moving the fish, I plan to throw in a power head into the garbage can with the heater?

3) I have a black stand, my aquarium is rectangle. Has anyone painted their rear outside glass black? How is it? does it make the plants stand out or look placed?


I will be running a heater and power head if OK in the transport vessle. The power head is built to stop sucking up fish. Is this safe if i block access to the intake?

[lloyd berg]

this time of year you don't need to worry too much about temp in the bucket so the heater is no big deal. the power head is a good idea if they will be in the can for longer than 2-3 hours. especially if it's crowded. when you are ready to put them in the can...add 25% fresh water with the tank water you syphon out. i also try to save 75% of the tank water and move it also. not feeding the day before helps to reduce waste in the can.
i think you'll be happy with the dual xp-3 set up but you might consider to eliminate the top pad (for polishing) if you like lotsa water movement. if you also have a power head then it's up to you and your fishes.
i have one tank painted black and it is dark. i would say too dark. the best colour i have found so far is blue. sort of like this forum's background.(not the girlie blue on the right column...the deeper blue around the post box. i tape the edges with wide masking tape and use spray cans to cover the back. you can play with paint density to give the tank some depth but avoid runs or you need to start all over. look for paint specific for rubber products if you might want to remove it some day. other paints can be a b* to scrape off.

[Buddha_Red]

Once again, Lloyd you have taught me a bunch of things. I really appreciate the time you spent on it. My stand is black, will a blue work?

[betaboi]

Hey Buddha, try painting a sheet of paper first and hold it behind the tank to see how it will look. This way you can try different colours and shades to see which looks best.

[lloyd berg]

once you paint your background, the tank will look so nice, you'll forget you even have a stand. :) i'll try to post later what brand of paint i have in the shop that worked best for me. (some paints can even absorb flash to improve picture quality- a nice little bonus.) have fun. and a safe move. ;)
(and sorry for the dyslexic typo- the girlie blue is on the left.)

[JUDO_BADGER]

If you decide to use a trash can to transport as I think I read above be careful. Some trash cans do not have safe plastic and can release poisons unsafe for your fish. Usually the harder the plastic the more safe it is.

[CrazieEddie]

I painted all my the backs of my tank black. I like to take pictures and I read that black back (painted) is best. Those paper type backgrounds are too shiny. I also have lots of problems just taping it. But I found a forum that actually uses water with some soap to apply those backgrounds on the tanks. Then just smooth it out with a squeegee.

Depending on your fish load, the XP3 should be enough, but most people usually run 2 canister filters with large tanks. It's best to use inline heaters or canister filters with built-in heaters so you don't have the heater in the tank and making it look ugly. Plus it protects the fish from getting burnt.

[Buddha_Red]

i have a 110 gallon and I'm moving to another apartment in the same complex. I plan to saran wrap the aquarium so it stays moist. Same with filters. All the sand is coming with me, along with all the plastic plants and what not.

82.5 gallons is roughly 75% of my water, i only have the one tank left, i sold my 55 gallon yesterday.

The fish wont be in the can more than an hour, but i'm doing the power head anyways just to be safe. i am not worried about the fish, i believe they will be fine, i move them first and have them in the quiet part of the apartment until i can get the water back in the tank.

I am hoping the tank will be in place and reset up within 2 hours at most. i am going to hire the guys that delivered my aquarium to move the empty tank and stand. I do not trust the regular movers.

Ok how about this, i buy 8 trashcans, fill them with 10ish gallons of water, so it can be still carried?

Any suggestions? This is about all i can come up with. This will allow me to retain 80 gallons of tank water.

[Buddha_Red]

I painted all my the backs of my tank black. I like to take pictures and I read that black back (painted) is best. Those paper type backgrounds are too shiny. I also have lots of problems just taping it. But I found a forum that actually uses water with some soap to apply those backgrounds on the tanks. Then just smooth it out with a squeegee.

Depending on your fish load, the XP3 should be enough, but most people usually run 2 canister filters with large tanks. It's best to use inline heaters or canister filters with built-in heaters so you don't have the heater in the tank and making it look ugly. Plus it protects the fish from getting burnt.

Good information, i really appreciate it. I tested a few colors, black seems to look good but i am going to try it again in the new surroundings. I have colored paper and i am trying out the different ones. I thought about using latex paint, which is super easy to remove with a scraper. I tried it on a broken aquarium. it comes of pretty easy. I haven't tried spray paint, i will test it though, one never knows!

I found that the only way i can use a background pic is to use soapy water and a squeegee. just like i do when applying tint to a window.

[CrazieEddie]

Almost every paint I tried can be scraped off easily. What I did to protect it was I had a regular background, which I bought a long time ago in prep for a 125 gallon tank, and just taped it over the back. This protects the paint from being scratched.

The several buckets can work and when your done, you can return them. :D

[angle fish]

awsome! but just to let you know... 10gall of water is 120 pounds, so if you can carry that, go for it :)

[lloyd berg]

i bought 6-175 litre plastic storage bins from wallyworld and gave an old friend 2 beers and a slice of cold pizza to help me carry them from here to there. and we moved 12 tanks in 2 days saving over 1/2 the water in all and never lost a cycle. :cool:

[Buddha_Red]

I am going to get a "dolly" to help with transport. It isvery expensive but you can go to U-Hal and rent a funiture dolly ment for moving heavy weights.I will follow your lead and go buy those storage containers. How much were the bins? do you remember?


i really appreciate all the help. I worry about all my fisheys, You should see how fast the baby SAE's grow! amazing. Every one is large enough to make the move. I have cut the fish down to one feed a day. I have some bag buddies, but i am totally unsure of the dosages on such a large scale. Skipping that :eek: :p

[lloyd berg]

save the bag buddies for an overnight trip. the plastic storage bins were about 11$ea. and hold 30gal. of water before they splash too much to carry.

[JUDO_BADGER]

That and storage containers either sterlite or rubbermaid are for sure safe for fish. I have heard some horror stories about people using the wrong garbage can and killing their fish.